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| S/V
Independence is a 1980 Morgan Out Island 415 Ketch. While she may
be 30+ years old, she is a beautiful boat that was completely refit in
2006 with a replacement engine, new sails, new canvas and upholstery,
and fresh paint. She's certainly got her 'warts', but she's ours
and we love her. |
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| As
a ketch she has two sails on masts (the main and the mizzen) and a head
sail (the genoa). The sheets (lines for controlling the sails)
lead into the cockpit so at least some of the work sailing the boat can
be done without going out on deck. The crew (that would be us)
does have to go on deck to raise and lower the sails. |
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On
the inside (below decks) Independence has a nice salon, a too small for
the Admiral galley, two staterooms or cabins, and two heads (bathrooms).
The
galley has a double sink with pressurized hot and cold water, a 3
burner stove and oven,and a refrigerator/freezer. The
microwave that came with the boat is gone now since we only used it for
popcorn and heating leftovers. We added a 12
volt freezer that's about the size of a medium sized ice
chest the makes it nice for buying meat and ice when it's available. |
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| The
two staterooms are all the way forward and all the way aft (front and
back of the boat). The aft stateroom has a queen berth (bed)
while the forward stateroom has two bunks. With the salon (living room)
between them it allows privacy for the owners and guests. We
may eventually convert the bunks to a double berth but for those
that prefer a more cozy arrangement the salon can be converted to a
double for now. (Please excuse the
mess) |
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Each
stateroom has a separate head/shower (bathroom). One has been
converted to a storage space but the plumbing is all there and
we’ll be converting it back to a head in the summer of 2012.
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Picture coming soon |
| Our
electricity needs are met with two 135 watt solor panels we added in
January, the 100 amp engine alternater, and the recent addition of a
2000 watt Honda generator. For the most part we only need 12 volt
electricity for the lights, refridgerator, freezer, radios and
navigation equipment. When we do need 110 volts (like household
current), we have a 1000 watt inverter that converts the 12 volt
battery power into 110 volts. While the solar panels provide all
of the 12 volt power we need, we have to augment with the
Honda generator if we use the inverter too much for the computer,
watching movies, or running the blender to make sundowners. |
Picture coming soon |
| Under
sail, Independence performs far beyond our expectations. We've
been told by many that the Morgan Out Islands were slow and didn't like
sailing into the wind. We've been pleasantly surprized at how
well she really does sail to wind and can keep up with or pass most
boats in her class at a close reach (just off the wind). |
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